The Levantine kitchen spans Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Palestine, and Jordan, and is built around the practice of mezze — a generous spread of small dishes shared at the start of a meal. Hummus, a creamy dip of chickpeas, tahini (sesame paste), lemon, garlic, and olive oil, is the region's signature, often crowned with a pool of olive oil, paprika, parsley, and sometimes whole chickpeas. Tahini itself is described as the soul of many Levantine dishes. Baba ghanoush is a smoky eggplant dip made by charring or roasting whole eggplants over flame to develop their characteristic depth; muhammara, from Syria, blends red pepper and walnut; and labneh is a thick strained yogurt used as a spread or cheese substitute. Seasonings matter enormously: za'atar combines thyme, sumac, and sesame; sumac itself is a tart red spice ground from a Mediterranean shrub; and pomegranate molasses — reduced pomegranate juice — adds tangy-sweet depth to dressings and stews.
Salads in the Levant are meals in themselves. Fattoush combines toasted pita and sumac with vegetables, while tabbouleh is a parsley salad with bulgur, tomato, and lemon — and the parsley is the main ingredient, not the bulgur. Kibbeh comes in many variations of bulgur and meat patties or balls. Shawarma is marinated meat roasted on a vertical spit and sliced thin, while falafel is made from soaked dried chickpeas — never canned — blended with herbs, spices, and baking soda, then fried. Pita, the pocket flatbread used for wrapping and dipping, puffs in a very hot oven when properly hydrated, as trapped steam inflates the dough. Manakish is a Levantine flatbread topped with za'atar, cheese, or meat.
Turkish cuisine, shaped by Ottoman traditions, overlaps with the Levant in many places. Turkish meze mirrors the Levantine spread; dolma refers to stuffed vegetables or vine leaves; and iskender kebab layers sliced lamb over bread with yogurt and tomato sauce. Borek is a layered savory pastry often filled with cheese or meat. Baklava is the most famous sweet: layered phyllo pastry filled with nuts and soaked in syrup, with origins claimed by Turkey, Greece, and many other regions but rooted in ancient Ottoman kitchens. Phyllo itself is paper-thin dough brushed with butter or oil between layers and must be kept under a damp towel to prevent drying. Kataifi is a shredded phyllo-like pastry used in sweets, while rose water and orange blossom water lend subtle floral aromatics to Middle Eastern desserts.